U Street Music Hall

About U Street Music Hall: The building at 1115 U street houses a 7/11, Subway, Dry Cleaner and a door with a small black awning featuring a “U” with a lighting bolt through it. The door leads down a set of stairs, passed a ticketing booth and into U Street Music Hall. The layout is simple, a rectangle and a square are connected at the corners. Enterimg U-Hall you find yourself in a hang-out area with a bar, passed that is a large rectangular room with a stage on the near side, DJ booth on the far side, bar on the left-hand wall and kitchen between the bar and stage. That’s it! The beauty of U Street Music Hall is its simplicity. It’s about the music, period.

It shouldn't be a surprise that U Street Music Hall is one of the best dance clubs in the city because it's owned by one of the best DJs/producers in the city, Will Eastman. As one-third of the house and electronic group Volta Bureau, Eastman certainly has an ear to ground on the best underground house and EDM acts, and often books up-and-comers months before they blow up. But more impressive is how well curated U Hall is when it's not occupied by national touring acts. It's become something of a central hub for local EDM artists to showcase their talents to a packed house. The artists on local dance-music label Future Times Records—which include Beautiful Swimmers, Protect-U, and Eastman's Volta Bureau—perform regularly, and it's rare that there's a night where the club isn't packed with perpetual bodies in motion.

Venue Type: Underground Club

Estimated Size: 500

Cover Charge: $10 – $20, usually free before 11 for 21+

Hours: Early shows start at 7pm, Nightlife generally 10pm – 2am

Dress Code: None

Age Requirement: 18+ must purchase tix in advance

Neighborhood: U Street

Atmosphere: Famous since its 2010 opening, U Street Music Hall is an underground DJ and concert venue that focuses on the music. No bottle service, no state of the art light system, no bells, no whistles. The sound system however, is arguably the best in DC nightlife. Featuring DJ acts in the evening spinning techno, dubstep, moombahton and underground house; and live acts early doing indy, punk, samba, rap, big band and more; U-Hall caters to the ‘be yourself and party hard’ kind of crowd.